Report: Guardiola wants Thiago Alcantara to join him at City

Off to Manchester City come season's end, Pep Guardiola has apparently identified Thiago Alcantara as a primary candidate to join him at the Etihad.

The Guardian's Jamie Jackson reports that Guardiola, who brought the diminutive Spanish midfielder with him to Bayern Munich when he left Barcelona, would need to pay somewhere in the region of £25 million to procure the services of the 24-year-old.

Jackson explains:

Yaya Toure’s future at City is in doubt but even if the Ivorian stays Guardiola wants to add at least one midfielder. Thiago fits the profile of a technically astute playmaker and the Spaniard’s admiration was indicated by him being the sole player he took with him from Barca to Bayern.

For his part, Thiago - who signed a contract extension to stay at the Allianz Arena last summer - said just months ago he wouldn't follow Guardiola out the door, regardless of the destination.

"I am not dependent on Pep," Thiago said in an interview with German magazine Sport Bild, as translated by DW Sports. "He is a great coach, but I do not need to take the same path as him. I am staying in Munich independent from Pep."

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Thiago joined the German club in 2013 for a fee believed to be around £17 million, and has recovered from a trio of serious knee injuries to establish himself as one of Guardiola's best options in the centre of the pitch.

In 31 appearances for the Bavarian side this season, Thiago has found the net four times, including the winner in Bayern's remarkable Champions League comeback against Juventus last week.